Refrigerator



April 24 1934.

M. J. GOULOOZE 1,955,910

REFRIGERATOR Filed Dec. 10, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 f 3 I I '70 4L INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

REFRIGERATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1930 7 a 2 um 5 m g g :5 aw 6 :1 a 1 1 I M x 0 r m; 2 m 5 m o f 2 4 7 0 4 6 M Q I 4 4 B 3 4 7 REFK GERATBKN o m m o F D CE DEAL g b INVENTOR. W Mfi m A TTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 24, 1934;-

sates REFRIGERATOR Martin .ll. Goulooze, Grand Rapids, Mich, as-

signor to Kelvinator Corporation,

Detroit,

Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application December 10, 1930, Serial N0. 501,198

4 Claims. (01. 62-51) This invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and more particularly to improvements in refrigerator cabinets.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a refrigerator cabinet in which the parts subjected to contact with ice or other cooling media are readily removable.

Another object of the invention is the provision the outside thereof for indicating the temperature I 'within the cabinet.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerator cabinet embodying this invention in which the door to the refrigerating compartment has been removed and parts are broken away to show the construction and arrangement of that compartment.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure l. I

Figure 3 is afragmentary sectional view of a refrigerator cabinet showing the details of the door opening mechanism employed in practising this invention.

Figure 4 is a front fragmentary elevational view of the refrigerator cabinet structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of a refrigera tor cabinet showing a hinge, with parts broken away, employed in practising this invention.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the temperature indicating device employed in practising the invention.

I Figure '7 is a front elevational view of the temperature indicating device shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section of the temperature indicating device.

The refrigerator cabinet 10 embodying this invention comprises a pair of spaced metallic shells 11 and 12. The inner shell 11 forms a continu- V ous inner lining for the cabinet and is constructed from a single sheet of metal. The outer shell 12 consists of live separate sheets of metal including two vertical side walls, a vertical rear wall, a horizontal bottom wall and a horizontal top wall. These severalsections of the outer shell 12 are joined together in a suitable manner to provide a relatively continuous sealed shell. Suitable insulating material 131s disposed between the shells 11 and 12.

The front of the cabinet is provided with a frame structure comprising a pair of horizontally disposed frame members 14 positioned at the top and bottom of the cabinet, and a vertical frame member 15 positioned midway between the side walls and joined to the horizontally disposed frame members. A metallic covering correspondin in finish to the outer shell 12 is provided for the frame members. The cabinet is supported by four legs 16 positioned at the respective corners of the cabinet.

The interior of the cabinet is divided into refrigerated compartments 1'7 and 18 and a refrigerating compartment 19. The refrigerated compartment 17 is separated from the refrigerating compartment 19 by a removable partition 20 suspended from a rod 21 spaced from the top wall of the cabinet and secured to the rear wall 11 and the vertical frame member 15. The refrigerated compartment 18 is separated from the refrigerating compartment 19 by a partition 22 which is of metal construction and has a centrally disposed opening therein. The outer edges and the edge adjacent the centrally disposed opening are flanged as indicated at 23 and 24. The partition 22 is supported by a pair of angle irons 25 secured in position on the front frame member and rear wall of the cabinet by screws 26 and bolts 27. The angle iron at the front of the cabinet is positioned slightly above the angle iron secured to the rear wall. A drip pan 28 of similar construction to the partition 22 is positioned above that partition and has its centrally disposed opening registering with the similar opening in the partition 22. Disposed between the partition 22 and the drip pan 28 and forming a reinforcing support for the horizontal portions thereof are a pair of supporting blocks 29. Thedrip pan 28 is provided with a drain spout 30 adjacent its rear edge. The drain spout 30 communicates with a drain pipe 31 which extends through the bottom wall of the cabinet and communicates with any suitable waste receptacle, not shown.

An ice rack 32 is supported upon the horizontal portion of the drip pan 28. The ice rack 32 consists of a pair of base irons 33 having their opposite ends made U-shaped with a horizontal portion between, a pair of brace rods 34 secured to the horizontal portions and the flanged extremities of the base irons, and a corrugated shelf 35 supported upon the brace rods 34. The corrugations of the shelf 35 run from the front to the rear so that moisture collecting thereon will drain towards the rear of the refrigerator.

A metallic apron 36 having its lower extremity projecting towards the interior of the cabinet is secured by welding or other suitable means to the two stationary walls of the refrigerating compartment immediately above the partition 22. The apron 36 is positioned with its lower extremity 37 inside of the adjacent flanged edge of the drip pan 28. This construction causes the moisture condensed on the side walls of the refrigerating compartment to flow into the drip pan and makes possible the use of a continuous inner wall throughout the interior of the cabinet. Heretofore a joint in the wall was necessary at the-point where the horizontal partition separating the refrigerating compartment and the refrigerated compartment was secured in position in order to provide adequate supporting means for the horizontal partition and to prevent moisture condensed on the walls of the refrigerating compartment from running down the walls into the refrigerated compartment.

A galvanized bafile plate 38 having a suitably formed lower extremity adapted to hold it in position against the rear inner wall of the refrigerating compartment is provided for the protection of that wall from injury due to carelessness when placing ice in the compartment.

The removable vertical partition 20 separating the refrigerating compartment from the refrigerated compartment abuts the partition 22 and has its lower extremity somewhat below that partition. The partition 20 is folded back upon itself, as indicated at 39, along a horizontal line adjacent the lower edge of the drip pan 28. The lower extremity of the fold 39 projects into the drip pan 28. By this construction moisture collecting either-on the inside of the removable partition 20 or the outside thereof drains into the drip pan 28. The shell 11 forming the inner lining for the cabinet has a raised bead 9 along a vertical line extend- I ing from the top wall to a point below the apron 36. The bead is positioned in the refrigerated compartment immediately adjacent the-removable partition 20. This bead prevents the flow of moisture, collected on the wall of the refrigerating compartment, into the refrigerated compartment. The partition 20 carries a plurality of shelf supports 6 which project into the refrigerated compartment 17. These supports cooperate with similar supports positioned on the opposite side of the compartment 1'7 to support a plurality of removable food shelves, not shown.

From the above description it will be seen that provision has been made to positively prevent the moisture which necessarily collects on the walls of the refrigerating compartment from getting into the refrigerated compartment, thus insuring cleanliness in the latter compartment and control over the waste water in the refrigerating compartment. It will also be apparent that suitable means for supporting a horizontal partition adaptedto sustain the weight of an adequate supply of ice is provided without necessitating a break in the vertical walls of the cabinet.

One of the most common complaints in respect to refrigerators by the users thereof is to the effect that it is difficult to keep them clean and to prevent the sedimentdeposited by melting ice from producing an odor in'the refrigerator. To

eliminate this cause for complaint applicant has provided a removable partition 22, a removable drip pan 28, a removable ice rack 32 and a removable baille plate 38. Each of these parts of the refrigerating compartment which comes in contact with the ice or the sediment deposited from its melting may be removed and cleaned by any suitable method and replaced without any appreciable effort.

The space between the top of the removable partition 20 and the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet, and the centrally disposed openings in the removable partition 22 and the drip pan 28 provide means for the circulation of air from the refrigerated compartment through the refrigerating compartment and back into the refrigerated compartment. The ice rack 32 positioned over the centrally disposed opening in the partition 22 and the drip pan 28 prevents moisture or sediment from passing through this opening while at the same time offering no obstruction to the ready flow of the circulating air therethrough.

The cabinet 10 is provided with suitable doors 40 for securely closing the structure. In Figure 1 the door to the refrigerating compartment-and the refrigerated compartment 18 has been removed to more clearly show the interior of the refrigerating compartment and the wall construction adjacent thereto. The doors are'suspended on hinges 41 by means of which. the doors may be swung open outwardly. The doors are secured in a closed position by 'meansof'a suitable door latch mechanism 42. The latch mechanism consists of a latch catch 43 secured to the upright frame member 15, a latch lever 44 enclosed in a latch housing 45 secured to the door 40, and a latch handle 46 for operating the latch lever 44.

Prior to this invention it has been necessary for a housewife using a refrigerator to have one hand free to open the refrigerator door. This has been a source of considerable inconvenience and annoyance to housewives who have occasion to use their refrigerators frequently because they are obliged to make a separate trip to the refrigerator with each articleto be placed therein, or to provide shelf space near the refrigerator to be used as a depository for articles to be subsequently placed in the refrigerator; This invention provides door opening mechanism for a refrigerator which may be operated by pressing downwardly on a foot pedal. The door opening mechanism consists of an operating lever 4'7 positioned partly within the vertical frame member 15 and pivoted at 48 to the framemember l5 adjacent its center point. One end of thelever 4'? projects outwardly from the vertical frame member 15 and is adapted to engage the latch lever 44 when moved vertically. An upward movement of the outer extremity of the lever 47 unseats the latch lever 44 and permits the door 40 to be swung outwardly. The opposite end of the lever47 which projects into the interior of the vertical frame member 15 is pivotally connected to a rod 49 concealedwithin the vertical frame member 15 in a longitudinal channel 50provided for that purpose. The lower extremity of the rod 49 is pivotally connected to a foot pedal 51 which is itself pivotally connected at 52 to a supporting post 53 secured-to the bottom wall of the refrigerator cabinet by means of screws 54. The foot pedal '51'is operated by means of pressure supplied as forexample by the refrigeratorusers foot on'a 'downwardly and outwardly extending projection 55. When a downward pressure is applied to the foot pedal 51 the operating lever 47 through means of the rod 49 releases the latch lever 44 and the door is free to swing open. Suitable means for normally holding the operating lever 47 in a position that will not interfere with the operation of the latch mechanism by means of the latch handle 46, is provided for in the form of a spring 56 having one end thereof secured to the foot pedal 51 at 57 and the other end to the bottom wall of the refrigerator cabinet by screws 57. The tension of the spring 56 holds the foot pedal 51, the rod 49, and the operating lever 47 in the positions shown in Figures 3 and 4 except when distorted by a downward pressure on the projecting arm 55.

From the foregoing it will be observed that by pressing downwardly on the foot pedal 51 the latch lever 44 will be released and the door 40 will be free to swing outwardly. Means for causing the door to swing outwardly when the latch 44 is released is provided for in the form of a coil spring 59 associated with one of the hinges 41. One end of the spring 59 is rigidly secured to the stationary part of the hinge 41 associated with the cabinet wall while the other end of the spring is secured under compression to the movablepart of the hinge. When the latch lever 44 is released the spring causes the door to swing outwardly.

Satisfactory refrigeration is obtained only between certain temperature limits. In ice refrigerators there is no problem with respect to obtaining too low a temperature, but frequently the temperature obtained is not low enough to satisfactorily perform the function of refrigeration. It is therefore desirable to have some means of indicating to a refrigerator user when a satisfactory refrigerating temperature exists within his refrigerator and when it is necessary to replenish the ice therein.

This invention provides a temperature indicating device 60 adapted to be supported by the vertical frame member 15 with the operating mechanism within the cabinet and the indicating mechanism on the outside thereof. The device comprises a substantially triangular shaped housing wall 62 having flanged edges 63. The flanged portions 63 of the wall 62 form the top and bottom walls of the housing 61 and the intermediate portion of the wall 62 forms one of the side walls of the housing. Another side wall may be used although it is not necessary and is not shown in this embodiment of the invention.

The housing is closed at the apex 64 of the triangular shaped side wall by securing the flanged portions 63 together with bolts 65. A wall 67 closes the opposite end of the housing 61 and is secured in position by inserting its flanged edges 68 through openings in the flanged portions 63 provided for that purpose. The end wall 67 is suitably calibrated to register fluctuations in temperature. A transparent wall 69 is disposed in spaced relation to the end wall 67 and secured to the flanged edges 66 of the walls 63 by means of screws 70 which also serve to secure the device 60 to the frame member 15.

A bi-metallic thermostat element 71 is disposed within the housing 61 and has one end rigidly secured to the housing at point 64 by means of the bolts 65. The opposite end terminates adjacent a supporting member 72 positioned between the horizontal walls 63. Vertical movements of the bi-metallic bar '71 are. transferred to an indicatingarm 73 by means of motion multiplying mechanism 74. The motion multiplying mechanism 74 is provided at one extremity with an arm 75 projecting through an opening in:

the supporting member 72 and adapted to-be engaged by the bi-metallic bar 71 and at the other extremity with a gear 76. Intermediate, of the gear and arm the motion multiplying device 74 is pivoted at point 77 to a support 78, which is in 5 turn secured to the side wall 62 of the housing by screws 8. The arm 73 is rigidly secured at 79 to a pin 80 supported by the support 78 and a similar support 81 secured to the side wall 62 and spaced from the support 78. The pin 80 isprovided with longitudinal corrugations forming gears adapted to engage the gear 76 so that a vertical movement of the gear 76 imparts a rotary movement to the pin 80 which in turn imparts a rotary movement to the indicator arm 73 y W which cooperates with the calibrated face of V the wall 67 to record the movement of the thermostatic element.

A compression spring 82 having one extremity rigidly secured to the support 81 has its other extremity secured to the pin 80 and is under compression tending to rotate the pin 80 in counterclockwise motion. The compression of the spring 82 is very slight being only sufficient to cause the indicator arm 73 to move to its lowest limit when free from a pressure in the opposite direction.

Figures 6 and 7 show the position of the various parts of the device 60 when-the temperature of the air surrounding the element 71 is relatively high. In order to prevent injury to the mechanism when the device is subjected to extremely high temperatures a stop 83 is secured to the horizontal wall 63 and positioned to limit the upward movement of the bar 71. As the temperature of the air adjacent the bi-metallic bar 71 lowers, the bar withdraws from the arm 75 and the spring 82 tends to rotate the pin 80 in a counter-clockwise motion and causes the indicator arm 73 to move downwardly.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator cabinet comprising a refrigated compartment, means separating the refrigerating compartment from the second named refrigerated compartment, and a drip pan supported by said means, said removable vertical wall being provided with a trough extending into said drip pan for conveying moisture collected on said wall to said drip pan.

3. A refrigerator cabinet comprising a refrigerating compartment including movable wall means extending below the lowermost portion of said compartment for dividing the interior of the cabinet into a plurality of refrigerated compartments, and a drain pan in said refrigerating compartment, said movable Wall means being provided with a trough extending into said drain 'pan for conveying moisture collected on said wall to said drip pan.

4. A refrigerator cabinet having a refrigerating compartment, a drip pan positioned in said MARTIN J. GOULOOZE. 

